Museum Gift Shops

California Palace of the Legion of Honor casts a spell of elegance on your before you even enter the door.

You've made your list and checked it twice, but for some folks fruitcake just won't cut it. So why not take a look at some museum stores? They're great places to pick up unusual and imaginative gifts such as fine silver belt buckles, handcrafted jewelry, kits for building model fuel-cell cars, or toys that you won't find at your local big-box stores. You can shop online at many museum stores, and some offer discounts to museum members.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM STORE San FranciscoDon't miss: original drawings by painters from Rajasthan, India. The designs were inspired by works in the current exhibition From Mind, Heart, and Hand: Indian, Persian, and Turkish Drawings from the Stuart Cary Welch Collection. (415) 581-3600, www.asianart.org.

BOOKSTORE AT THE GETTY Los AngelesDon't miss: stylish handbags made from recycled street banners that had been used to advertise exhibits. (310) 440-7059, www.getty.edu/bookstore.

EXPLORATORIUM STORE San FranciscoDon't miss: PixelBlocks—small translucent, multicolored building blocks that fit together three different ways. (415) 561-0390, www.exploratoriumstore.com.